A Trolley Car Named Desire

County residents unwrap new $1 billion Christmas gift

Its finally happened: At the cost of a measly billion bucks and change, Phoenix has grown-up, state-of-the-art public transportation  the kind with public art at its stops and those funny little seats that disappear when youre not sitting on them. Weve got light rail, and no one, least of all those responsible, is going to let the event pass without an extended weekends worth of hoo-ha and merrymaking.

The METRO Light Rail Grand Opening ribbon-cutting ceremony will kick off a weekend of celebrations at all of METROs current stops from 10 a.m. til 5 p.m., with live music and attending celebrities both local and national. (Other big related shindigs include the one at the lines current eastern terminus in Mesa  see www.mesaaz.gov/lightrailgrandopening  and at the new Tempe Transportation Center  see www.tempe.gov/DestinationTempe/dtcelebration.htm.)

Curious folks who arent big on parties can explore light rail with less revelry on Sunday the 28th, stopping to inspect each of the stations gorgeous art displays and maybe even checking out the recently completed Phoenix Convention Center, which will throw open its newly painted doors to display all 900,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space.